The writers broke the fourth wall on so many occasions, tried in vain to launch Tatyana Ali's music career, joked about its own idiocy on separate occasions (including mocking the changing of the actresses who played wife Vivian), and even went so far as to draw attention to the fact that Little Nicky went from a baby to a five year old in one year. The writers just weren't even trying anymore. And that didn't stop the show from lasting a one more season. In spite of all of that, Season Five is a pretty entertaining change in direction with Smith demonstrating his knack for physical comedy, drama involving a near fatal gunshot wound, and the ability to engage in his own arc involving his marriage to Lisa. Thankfully, the well cast Nia Long serves as a great opposite to Will Smith acting as straight man but also keeping him on his toes with her charismatic performance, and knack for delivering some pretty hilarious one-liners.

The focus of the second half of season five is on their relationship and ensuing marriage to one another and it also helps that the supporting cast picks up the slack. Alfonso Ribeiro is a source of constant laughter, and James Avery is consistently talented and acts as a great straight man to the antics of Will and Carlton. But as I mentioned the funniest episodes involve Lisa, including their first date at a bowling alley that ends in a hilarious fist fight with a muscle bound disrupter, Will's eventual meeting with Lisa's father, the bullet in Will's back that prompts his proposal to her, and their wacky marriage involving a hysterical fight during a couples therapy session with George and Weezie Jefferson, and a pretty lame wedding finale. Overall the show has lost a lot of its charm, but it still can provide some hefty laughs if you'll excuse Will Smith's failure to nail comedy.

As for the DVD set itself, it's all nothing but the edited full screen episodes we've seen in syndication since the show ended, and the picture quality is pretty poor with a fuzzy and grainy representation that makes the colors on screen look dim. Meanwhile there are no extras in this set. No trailers, or commentaries, or even posters. It's just nothing but a barebones purchase. I don't suggest it if you want to learn about the series, but if you're just in to watching the shows without a worry, then the average Will Smith or "Fresh Prince" fan will get a kick out of this.